It really couldn’t be easier to make Vegan Buffalo Sauce! It has a nice blend of zest, tang, and spice, making it a tasty option for dipping, drizzling, or coating your favorite plant-based protein.
This spicy sauce is made with a few simple ingredients and is perfectly hot, creamy, and tangy.
You are going to want to drizzle this over everything!
Buffalo sauce is essentially a hot sauce with a creamy and buttery flavor, achieved through the incorporation of vegan butter.
It is vegan, dairy-free, and gluten-free but you'll never taste the difference.
This buffalo sauce recipe was originally created in early 2022 but has been updated with new pictures and more information.
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Is Buffalo Sauce Vegan?
Hot sauce typically is vegan-friendly but traditional buffalo sauce is usually not.
Oftentimes, buffalo sauce is made with butter. Sometimes you'll find Worcestershire sauce in the ingredient list as well which wouldn't even make it vegetarian.
But luckily, making your own vegan buffalo sauce is easy and tastes even better!
Ingredients
Vegan buffalo sauce can be made with 2 basic ingredients- vegan butter and hot sauce.
But this one includes white wine vinegar, garlic powder, and onion powder for extra tang and flavor.
Hot Sauce: Most hot sauce brands are vegan. For this recipe, look for ones that are hot pepper and vinegar based and not one with a lot of added ingredients. I recommend Frank's RedHot Original Hot Sauce.
Vegan Butter: Traditional buffalo sauce has butter in it. Thankfully, we have tons of options to substitute butter. I use Earth Balance.
White Vinegar: Adds more depth of flavor! Can be substituted with apple cider vinegar.
Seasonings: Garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and black pepper are added for additional flavor.
Cayenne Pepper: This is optional but it adds a deeper spice flavor.
See recipe card for quantities.
How to Make This Recipe
This vegan buffalo sauce can be whipped up in under 5 minutes and goes great drizzled over cauliflower wings, tofu nuggets, or used as a dip!
The full written recipe can be found in the recipe card below.
Step 1: Add the hot sauce, melted vegan butter, white wine vinegar, garlic powder, onion powder, kosher salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper to bowl.
Step 2: Whisk until smooth.
Use this buffalo sauce to make buffalo tofu bites, buffalo tempeh, or these cauliflower tacos.
Note: Make sure you are using a hot sauce that is hot pepper and vinegar based and not one with a lot of added ingredients.
Substitutions & Variations
Homemade buffalo sauce can be made mild, medium spicy or extra hot.
Simple changes can be made to this recipe to make sure that your preferred spice level is reached.
Make it spicier: Add a larger pinch of cayenne pepper and use an extra spicy hot sauce.
Make it mild: Add more melted vegan butter. I would recommend a 1:1 ratio of butter to hot sauce if you are after a mild low-heat buffalo sauce.
Make it sweet & spicy: Add a splash of agave or maple syrup to create a delicious vegan buffalo sauce that is medium spicy with a hint of sweetness.
Make it gluten-free: This recipe is naturally gluten-free.
Serving Ideas
This spicy sauce can be added to so many different recipes to add flavor to your favorite recipe.
Use this buffalo sauce in the following recipes: Buffalo Tofu, Buffalo Tempeh, and Cauliflower Tacos.
Use as a dip: Use as a dipping sauce for these Air Fryer Tofu Nuggets or in a vegan take on a buffalo chicken dip.
Store-Bought Options
This vegan buffalo wing sauce is simple to make and contains minimal ingredients that you might already have on hand.
But if you're in a pinch and want store-bought options- here are my recommendations!
Frank's RedHot Buffalo Sauce: This product contains natural butter type flavor but the brand has confirmed that it is vegan friendly and the butter flavor is not made of animal products. This is a good option if you're looking to purchase one instead of making it yourself because it can be found in most grocery stores.
Primal Kitchen Buffalo Sauce: This one is a good option! It's vegan, keto, paleo and even gluten-free. It's made from avocado oil and pumpkin seed butter. They have an original flavor and an extra hot one.
Nobel Made Buffalo Sauce: This buffalo sauce brand has a very simple ingredient list.
Storage
Store leftover wing sauce in an airtight jar or container for up to 2 weeks.
Tips & Tricks
Look for a hot sauce that is hot pepper and vinegar based and not one with a lot of added ingredients. This will yield better results.
Frequently Asked Questions
Buffalo sauce usually contains butter and Worcestershire sauce which are not vegan ingredients.
This recipe for buffalo sauce is naturally gluten-free. But oftentimes, they contain Worcestershire sauce which can contain gluten.
Add more butter to mellow the spice. You could even add a splash of agave or maple syrup to balance the spice.
Use a super spicy hot sauce brand, add less butter, and/or an extra pinch of cayenne pepper.
More Sauce Recipes
Looking for other sauce recipes like this? Try these:
Don't forget to leave a comment and ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ star rating down below if you try this recipe! Subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Instagram for more recipes and updates.
Recipe
Vegan Buffalo Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 cup Frank's RedHot Original Hot Sauce
- ½ cup Melted Vegan Butter
- 4 teaspoons White Wine Vinegar
- ¼ teaspoon Garlic Powder
- ¼ teaspoon Onion Powder
- ¼ teaspoon Kosher Salt see note
- ¼ teaspoon Black Pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon Cayenne Pepper optional
Instructions
- Whisk together the hot sauce, melted vegan butter, white wine vinegar, garlic powder, onion powder, kosher salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper.
- Serve immediately or store in an airtight jar for up to 2 weeks.
Notes
Disclosure: This page contains some affiliate links. Please know that I may receive a percentage or commission from a link included on this page, at no extra cost to you. I will only ever recommend a product that I have used and believe has substantial value to my readers.
Wendy Bartz says
This sauce with your Buffalo tofu is sooo delicious!!
Liv says
Thank you for leaving this review! I’m so glad you loved it 🙂
Coco says
It was so yummy
Liv says
Glad you enjoyed!! 🙂